Missy Franklin of the U.S. poses with her gold medal after winning the women's 100m backstroke final at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Center

NBC has issued a spoiler apology after giving away the results of events before they had even aired their coverage on TV.

The troubled network has been criticized for its coverage of the Games so far, with many unhappy at the commentary and number of commercials run during the opening ceremony. Others have been disappointed by much of the delayed coverage shown by the network.

However, NBC upset even more folk recently when it ran a promo for "Today" showing swimming sensation Missy Franklin holding her gold medal. The promo ran before her race had been broadcast to audiences across the United States.

NBC has since realized its mistake and issued an apology for ruining the event coverage for many.

Prior to showing coverage of Missy Franklin's eagerly anticipated 100 Meter Backstroke final on Monday, NBC ran a promo for Tuesday's "Today" show, which flashed an image of Franklin already showing off her gold medal.

The promo for "Today" ran a voice over saying, "When you're 17 years old and win your first gold medal, there's nobody you'd rather share it with."

Thousands of Olympic fans took to social media networks to complain about the mistake, with many already riled up about the delayed coverage being given by the network.

A statement issued by NBC sports has stated: "Clearly that promo should not have aired at that time. We have a process in place and this will not happen again. We apologize to viewers who were watching and didn't know the result of the race."

United States viewers have been forced to watch much of the Olympic coverage during prime time hours as NBC have chosen to delay a lot of the live airing of events. Many excited Olympic fans across America have been trying to avoid all media outlets throughout the day so as not to hear results. Many have planned to watch the Games in the evenings without knowing the results, so they can cheer along as if watching live.

NBC might not be too sorry, however, as their ratings have surged. On Monday more than 30 million viewers across the U.S. tuned in to watch the broadcast from the London Aquatics Center and the Olympic Park.